Shank-piece for shoes



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. KINSELLA.

, SHANK PIECE POR SHOES.

No. 498,125. Patented May 23, 1893.

E- l l Ac l i I a Z In.

I yl, 7 JMWW SFP. Mm @d @am Tm: Noam: Uses cn, PHmo-UTHO. wAsmNaTon, n. c.

I (No Mdel.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

E. KINsB-LLA. SHANK PIBGB FOR SHOES.

Patented May 23,1895?.

THE MORRIS PYERS C0.. FNOTO-LITHO. WASHKNGYON, D. (IA

v vicelwithout a heel seat.

PATENT wien..

EDWARD KINSELLA, OE ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

sHANK-P'IECE FOR sHoEs.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,125, dated May 23, 1893.

Application filed April 21, 1892. Serial No. 430,148. (No model.) I

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD KINsELLA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Rochester, in 4the vcounty o f Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shank- Pieces for Shoes, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichy Figure l, is a plan viewof m'y device with a heel seat. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3, is a plan view of my de-- Fig. 4, is a longif tudinal section of the same. Fig. 5, is a longitudinal section of the same made with a wide layer of sock-lining or drill. Fig. 6, is a transverse sect-ion on the line -x of Figs. 1 and 3. Fig. 7, is a plan view of the stiffener. Fig. 8, is a longitudinal section of the shoe showing my shank piece inposition on the sole. Fig. 9, is a plan view of the sole of a shoe showing myshank piece in position thereon. Fig. lO, is a plan view of a sole showing the shank piece sewed in thereon. Fig. 11,is a transverse section on the line z -z of Fig. l0, showing the upper in its position before the shoe is turned. Each view is enlarged, except Fig. 8.

The object of my invention is to provide a shank piece for shoes which shall be cheap to manufacture and easy to insert into and fasten in the shoe.

My invention consists in a shank piece composed of a stifener, preferably of steel, contained in a case or receptacle which incloses the stiffener closely, and which is made of inexpensive material such as sock-lining, drill, leather or material having similar properties, and which case or receptacle is adapted t0 be fastened into the shoe either by stitches or by cement. The case, however, is an article of manufacture distinct from combination with the stiener. While the case or receptacle may be manufactured of drill, sock-lining or of leather of different kinds, I prefer ordinarily to make it of upper leather, inasmuch as scraps of such leather suitable for its manufacture are the waste of shoe factories and may be obtained for a small price; 5o and also because such leather is better adapted to be held to the sole by cementthan socklining or other similar material. And while Iv prefer to make the. case, or receptacle `of these flexible materials, inspecial cases vI manufacture it. of solev leather. It may also be made of combinations of any of the materials stated. The sole leather, upper leather, or other material of which the case or receptacle is made, should loe-sufficiently flexible to yield when the stilfener lbends. I .make

my shank piece also with a heel seat as hereinafter described. t v

' Referring to the drawings, A represents the case-or receptacle whichis composed of two or more layers of the aforesaid materials of the same or of different sizes. vOrdinarily a narrow layer ct (see Fig. 6) is sewedpto the other layer or layers a a in such. manner that within the seam b-there will beproduced a case or receptacle of suitable size to inclose the stiffenerB. The layer or layersaa are ordinarily longer and wider than the layer c, so that the larger layer'oil layers may present a broad surface whereby the case may be attached to the sole either by stitches or by cement, as hereinafter mentioned. yThe case may be open at one end, as shown in the drawings, sothatthe stiffener may be removably inserted therein, and thus the case is made independently of the stiffener.

The stiffener B is made of a strip of lfiat steel of rather low temper and may with the case be of a size adapted to the size of the shoe which it is desired to make, and is longer or shorter, narrower or broader, thicker or thinner, as the character and size of the shoe may require. In other words the-stiifener is of such width and thickness as not to yield too much to the bending of the shoe when in use, and is of such length as to stiifen the whole of the shank of the shoe.

For ladies shoes of ordinary sizes I prefer to make the stiffener about Iive-sixteenths of an inch wide, about four inches long and about one-thirty-second of an inch thick. Through one end of the stiffener there is a perforation c through which a tack may be driven into the heel seat or into the sole in order to hold the same firmly in place. It is best that this tack should fasten the stiffener at the heel of ICO the shoe in order that when the shoe is in use the bending of the stiifener, if any, may occur from that point.

'lhe case and stiffener are of such size and are fast-ened in the shoe on the sole by cement or by stitches so as to extend from a point a little to the rear of the ball along the shank to and over a portion of the heel. The case A when so fastened into the shoe holds the stiifener firmly in place so that the effect of the latter in giving stiffness to the shoe shank is constant.

In the drawings, Figs. S, 9 and lO, I have shown the shank piece adapted to turned shoes, but it is applicable to shoes of other methods of construction as will be obvious to any person skilled in the art.

In turned shoes the caseA is fastened upon the sole D either before or after the shoe is turned. When the case A is sewed to the sole D, the edges of the wide layer a' may be sewed to the sole at the same time that the upper is sewed thereto or maybe sewed in separately. In the former instance, awide layer a which is sewed in should be made of sock-lining, drill or of some thin material which can be pressed into the inside channel d of the sole so that the stitches, as turned shoes are ordinarily sewed, may pass through the upper, theedge of the sole and through the socklining or drill in the channel CZ. The tension of the stitches d will draw the sock-lining or drill tightly upon lthe sole. (See Fig. ll.) In the other instance, the sewing is done by hand and the wide layer a may lie upon the sole without being drawn into the channel, particularly if said layer is of leather of such a thickness as to withstand bending under the slight tension of the stitches. In either of these instances, parts of the wide layera may be cut away at the sides as indicated by the dotted lines y--y in Fig. 3, so that the stitches may not catch along the edge of the layer, but may be limited to those parts which are left wide. The wide layer or layers a', a, I make of extra width and length in order to leave enough material to extend on either side of the middle of the case and at the forward end thereof, so as to permit the manufacture of the shank pieces of uniform size and their adaptation to shoes of different widths and lengths. The surplus of said wide layer or layers may be trimmed off to tit the particular size of shoe in which the shank piece is inserted. A case A may be made of several layers of leather in order, among other reasons, that when the shoe is being leveled the case may be sufficiently compressible to respond to the treatment.

In turned shoes the caseA may be cemented upon the sole in the position above described before the shoe is turnedz-after turning the shoe, and before the heel seat is lasted in there is an opening at the heel where the sole is free from the upper, through which the stifener may be inserted into anopen end case; the case being flexiblemay be turned with the sole. The case with the stitfener inserted may be cemented in position to the sole after the shoe is turned. A tack is driven through the perforation in the stiffener into the heel seat before the out-sole is nailed thereto in the course of the ordinary and well known method of manufacturing turned shoes. In thus making a turned shoe, I use a short heel seat E of sole leather, which cxtends as I prefer, not farther than to the beginning of the shank of the shoe, and thereby, in turned shoes, I obtain all the advantages of the use of a long and stiff shank piece of heavy leather which must be of a good and comparatively expensive quality, and at the same time I produce -a stiffener which is more positive and certain in producing the desired result. I make my shank piece also with the heel seat Eattached to the case A as bythe stitches o oef Fig.l, and these stitches may be continuous with `the stitches which unite the narrower `layer a with the wider layer or layers ct of the case, and maybe made at the same time. The heel seat E is skived at the forward end as usual in order to make a good union with the case. The case is flexible and light relatively to the heel seat, which latter must be sufficiently stiff and heavy to hold the heel tacks or nails. The said long, stiff, leather shank piece,in the ordinary method of making turned shoes is cemented to the sole at the forward end'and along the shank, but often Works loose on account of the strain in walking with the shoe and the tendency of the sole and the leather shank piece to move on eachother; and when it becomes loose, it usually curls up, much to the detriment of the shoe and the discomfort of the wearer. My device, however, does not so work loose, but remains in place held by the cement or the stitches and by the tack passing through the stiffener. If the cement or stitches should give way the tack will hold it in place. When my shank piece with a heel seat is used, the parts are held in place by the nails, which, in the common method of manufacturing turned shoes, fasten the heel, the sole and heel seat together.

This shank piece serves to4 cause the shoe `to retain the curvature of its shank and thus preserves the good appearance of the shoe and is comfortable in wear.

The stiener'maybe bent or molded to any suitable shape.

My shank-piece is complete in itself,l and is furnished to shoe makers with or Without the stiener, and with or without the heel seat, ready to be fastened into shoes in the manner above described, or in such other way as they may prefer.

l. A case for shoe shank stiffeners, composed of layers of suitablematerial secured IOO IIO

together as by lines of fastenings at or near one end andat a distance from-each of the sides, leaving marginal side extensions for securing the same to the sole, and forming a pocket for the shank stiffener which is open at one end to receive the same,substantially as described.

2. A case for shoe shank stiffeners com posed of layers of suitable material secured together as by lines of fastenings at or near one end and at a distance from each of the sides, leaving marginal side extensions for securing the same to the sole, and forming a pocket for the shank stiffener which is open at one end to receive the same, the case be ing further provided with a heel seat extending therefrom at the heel end, substantially as described.

3. As an article of manufacture a shankpiece for shoes composed of a sole-leather heel seat and extending therefrom, a relatively iiexible case having an opening thereinto and adapted to receive an insertible stiffener, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. As an article of manufacturein a shankpiece for shoes, a receptacle formed of two or more layers of sock-lining, upper leather or other similar flexible material, and having an opening thereinto whereby a lexible case is formed to receive an Ainsertible stiifener and a heel seat of sole leather or other suitable material attached to one end of said case, substantially as and for the purposes described.L

EDWARD KINSELLA. Witnesses:

M. H. MCMATH, L. M. MILLER. 

